Cranston rapper bringing first ever concert to Cranston Stadium in June

FRIENDS AND PARTNERS: Bobby Nicholson and Terry McEneney run Inside Out Productions, which will be putting on the ’80s themed concert on June 15 at Cranston Stadium.

(Cranston Herald photos)

CHOOCH TO GOOCH: Terry McAneney, sitting behind the desk at his Johnston office, talks with Bobby Nicholson as he watches his “Chooch to Gooch” viral music video as well as a video of his late law partner Ben Mesiti.

(Cranston Herald photos)

Posted
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 12:09 pm

By Thomas Greenberg

For a first time Cranston Stadium will be the venue for a concert because of Cranston resident, Johnston-based criminal defense attorney, and DJ-turned-rapper Terry McEnaney, also known as Bobby Braciola, and his business partner Bobby Nicholson. They run Inside Out Productions.

The concert is set for Friday, June 15 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. with a rain date for Saturday the 16th. McEnaney called it the “kickoff to summer” and said that it’s only rained on June 15 once in the past six years, so they’re optimistic that they’ll have a good-weathered night of music.

That music will all be from bands made popular in the 1980s, which is when McEnaney created his Bobby Braciola character, who is now famous for the viral “Chooch to Gooch” music video on Youtube. McEnaney is emotional about that video because he said it reached 200,000 views on the one-year anniversary of his friend, partner-in-law, and fellow music aficionado Ben Mesiti’s death from cancer.

The concert has an emotional motivation to it, in a different way. All the proceeds from the show will benefit the MS Dreams Center, which recently expanded its services at the Pastore Center on Gansett Avenue. Nicholson’s wife, Dawn, was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Nicholson, who assists McEnaney in his law firm by day, runs Inside Out Productions, who has produced music since Nicholson was released from jail 20 years ago, hence the catchy name. He met McEnaney around then, and has helped him to produce the Bobby Braciola character.

The company will create the whole set up for the show, including lights and sound in the stadium.

Seating for the show will all be in the bleachers on one side of the stadium, while the bands will be playing on stage on the field.

Parks and Recreation Director Tony Liberatore said that this first concert at Cranston Stadium is going to be an “experiment” on how the city can lease out the stadium for future events.

“We’ll see how it works out,” he said. “We’re going to see what the response to this one is, then move forward from there.”

Liberatore didn’t disclose how much Inside Out was paying to use the stadium that night, but said leasing out the stadium will bring revenue into the city not only through that fee but also through people coming into the city from other states and spending money that night, whether it be at coffee shops or elsewhere.

The bands that will be helping to attract those people into Cranston Stadium during the concert include World Premiere, a band that plays in shows all across the East coast currently, The Senders, Ricky Rodge, and the Cranston West band along with the Falconettes.

“It’s going to be this big blown up thing,” Nicholson said about the concert.

Both Nicholson and McEnaney are optimistic that people from all across the state, and those in Cranston specifically, will be drawn to the show because they’ve gotten some “big-name” bands to play there. Bobby Braciola will also be up on stage during the event, MCing the entire night and doing a set, according to McAneney.

Also helping to attract people to the show will be a cash bar, which Inside Out received a one-day liquor license from the City Council to be able to have, and catering by the Johnston restaurant Ciara.

“It’s going to have a real Italian flair,” McAneney said.

Tickets are $20 per person for general admission and gates will open at 6:00 p.m. so concert-goers can get settled in with food and drink before Bobby Braciola takes the stage to kick off the night.

McAneney, who was a DJ in Providence and Boston for 18 years before becoming his rap persona Braciola, said that he worked with big names like Will Smith during his career. He hopes that he can bring the ‘80s bands he has worked alongside in the music business to Cranston – and Rhode Island – residents during this “summer kickoff” concert at Cranston Stadium on June 15.

He also said that graduating from Cranston West helped him form his persona. His son is now a sophomore at West.

“We’re really pumped about this,” McAneney said about the concert. “And really glad it’s going to a great cause like the Dream Center.”

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